Brenda Nansasi standing near the car she won after being crowned as Uganda’s miss curvy. Photos by Stephen Otage
Participants and organizers of the inaugural Miss Curvy Beauty pageant on Friday proved their critiques wrong and beat public expectations.
The show which kicked off slightly after 9pm ended at 2.30am with the handover of a Jeep Cherokee to the winner Belinda Nansasi without sight of skimpy dressing save for the curves which bulged from the different dresses that the contestants intermittently adorned to exhibit their God-given beauty.
The first five out of the 25 contestants to be kicked out of the Cat Walk were Aisha Namale, Joanitta Ayebare, Esther Among, Sumaya Nakazi and Ahumuza Patience. These, from the outlook, were among the contestants to warm up the stage and set the agenda. Clearly, much as they had curves, they were of a limited edition compared to the extra-large size of the remaining 20 contestants.
The judges Marianne Mungoma and Micheal Makunzi subjected the remaining 20 contestants to aptitude tests and asked each of them what they would do with the crown if they won it Friday evening in relation to promotion of the objectives of the pageant organizers where all of them pledged to empower their peers economically and rally them to fight against the stereotype the public holds against the Plus Size women as they call themselves rather than “Fat woman” as the public defines them.
The event managers of the day noted that unlike the chaotic scenes like riots and protests which usually attract foreign media, the Miss Curvy contest was probably one of the first social events in the country which attracted international media which included BBC, AfP, the Chinese news agency and a British fashion and design television which flew its crew purposely for the pageant.
In terms of the show attendance being the first event of its kind, at 90 percent room occupancy, the organizers may have walked away with ranking above par.
